Walking the recent Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Kuala Lumpur runway to a sea of attendees dressed all in white, designer Celest Thoi took a moment to soak it all in, recording the thundering applause on her phone.
The Coterie by Celest Thoi Spring/Summer 2025 show was an extra special one, as it marked a major milestone for Thoi – a celebration of 20 years in fashion.
Minutes before she took her bow, models had strutted out in a variety of completely white looks from the collection, the brand’s signature hue, drawing admiration and approving looks from the fashion crowd.
Thoi herself rarely wears anything apart from white, the occasional black, and red “for Chinese New Year”, she says during our cover shoot, held in her studio in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
While her bridal business started in 2004, Coterie by Celest Thoi began during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In 2020 my team and I were busy making PPEs for medical workers, and seeing how the bridal business’s bank account was depleting, we had to pivot the business and move out of The Gardens Mall in 2021 as there were no celebrations of weddings, events or balls,” said Thoi.
Demand for bridal and ball gowns was non-existent during the early days of the pandemic, but Thoi observed how everyone was holding meetings online, giving her an idea.
“Everyone was doing Zoom meetings at that time so I thought, why don’t I design some white shirts for that purpose since I have always loved wearing white outfits. I had always had these ideas about creating a white shirt range in the back of my head but didn’t have time to execute it as weddings had been keeping me busy.”
“The idea of Coterie was also prompted by my group of girlfriends who would ask me where I got my outfits from and when I told them it’s my own, they asked to make them in their sizes,” added Thoi.
A departure from wedding dresses, designing white everyday wear was a different form of satisfaction for Thoi.
“It’s fulfilling to be able to dress people from all walks of life especially like-minded people who appreciate our sense of style and design,” she said.
A unique journey
Born in Singapore where she lived until the age of 21, Thoi has always had a keen interest in sewing and designing, making doll dresses for her two younger siblings using remnants from her mum’s extra materials.“My dad is a landscape gardener, my mum is a housewife and she would sew dresses for my two sisters and me whenever there were special occasions,” said Thoi.
Her parents encouraged her to pursue graphic design at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, worried that going into fashion would not translate into a stable income.
She started out as a graphic designer with an advertising agency before working in IBM as a media designer in Melbourne, where she met her Malaysian husband, James Tee.
It was in 2004 when Thoi began her foray into bridalwear in Auckland, New Zealand, thanks to her conundrum at being unable to find the perfect wedding dress for herself.
“I have always loved fashion and for my wedding, looking for my ideal dress in New Zealand was futile so I decided to design and source for my own dresses as I had weddings in three different countries,” said Thoi.
“Subsequently, I helped a few friends there for their weddings and totally fell in love with the whole process. I then decided to open my little wedding business in Auckland, and I haven’t looked back since.”
Upon relocating to Kuala Lumpur in 2009, Thoi set up a boutique here.
“We moved to KL after much pressure from my in-laws who wanted the grand kids to be nearer, as we started our family in New Zealand.”
Evolving as a designer is something that Thoi has wholly embraced, believing that learning is a lifelong endeavour.
“I believe there’s no end to learning in life. Starting out as a bridal designer has an edge as I reckon bridal technique can be applied into our Coterie collection. Haute couture is the ultimate – we streamline our art of couture to it being ready-to-wear for Coterie. Sometimes, we upcycle materials from bridal to Coterie as well.”
One of the main challenges faced by Thoi and other homegrown designers is the perception that brands from abroad are superior.
“Asian designers are somehow perceived to pale in comparison unless we create the brand overseas and bring it back to our home country. If locals do not even support local, how will foreigners support us?” said Thoi.
“We have been trying our best to encourage people to #supportlocal by showing that we can also do what overseas designers do – as evidently, you may have witnessed at MBFWKL where local designers whipped up looks that are equally intriguing and trend-worthy. We would like to prove that practicality and artistry can coexist, complementing each other to create functional yet beautiful designs that are wearable.”
While designing-related work takes up most of her time, Thoi makes it a point to do yoga on a daily basis to calm her mind, and also plays tennis and pickle ball, and goes on hikes with her husband.
“I like to travel for trade expos as and when I can to source for different things and at the same time learn about new trends, fabrics, machines, materials, haberdasheries and so on,” said Thoi.
The mother of two girls (16 and 18 years of age) is currently focusing on building up the Coterie brand while catering to clients who require gowns on their big day as well as other special occasions.
“I feel a sense of satisfaction to see my brides/clients looking exquisite in my creations, and I’m especially grateful to have them put their faith in me on their very important day!” said Thoi. I believe there’s no end to learning in life. Starting out as a bridal designer has an edge as I reckon bridal technique can be applied into our Coterie collection. Sometimes, we upcycle materials from bridal to Coterie as well.
One of the main challenges faced by Thoi and other homegrown designers is the perception that brands from abroad are superior.
“Asian designers are somehow perceived to pale in comparison unless we create the brand overseas and bring it back to our home country. If locals do not even support local, how will foreigners support us?” said Thoi.
“We have been trying our best to encourage people to #supportlocal by showing that we can also do what overseas designers do – as evidently, you may have witnessed at MBFWKL where local designers whipped up looks that are equally intriguing and trend-worthy. We would like to prove that practicality and artistry can coexist, complementing each other to create functional yet beautiful designs that are wearable.”
While designing-related work takes up most of her time, Thoi makes it a point to do yoga on a daily basis to calm her mind, and also plays tennis and pickle ball, and goes on hikes with her husband.
“I like to travel for trade expos as and when I can to source for different things and at the same time learn about new trends, fabrics, machines, materials, haberdasheries and so on,” said Thoi.
The mother of two girls (16 and 18 years of age) is currently focusing on building up the Coterie brand while catering to clients who require gowns on their big day as well as other special occasions.
“I feel a sense of satisfaction to see my brides/clients looking exquisite in my creations, and I’m especially grateful to have them put their faith in me on their very important day!” said Thoi.
